Unexpected Discoveries, Graded Structures, and the Difference Between Acceptance and Neglect

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Origins: Studies in the Sources of Scientific Creativity book series (ORIN, volume 3)

Abstract

In June 1934 the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi published a paper in Nature entitled “Possible Production of Elements of Atomic Number higher than 92” (Fermi, 1934b). In this paper Fermi reported that by bombarding uranium with neutrons he and his team had produced an element which could be element number 93, that is, a transuranic element.

Two objections followed very quickly. One objection came from von Grosse and Agruss who pointed out that different chemical properties were to be expected from element number 93 than those displayed by the element produced by Fermi (von Grosse and Agruss, 1934a, 1934b). Hence, they suggested to recategorize the element as number 91. The other objection came fromIdaNoddack (1934b), who also questioned Fermi’s assumptions regarding the chemical properties of element 93 and suggested that the uranium nucleus could have split into several larger fragments whichwould be isotopes of known, light elements.

Keywords

Atomic Number Unexpected Discovery Disintegration Process Conceptual Structure Element Number 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Science StudiesUniversity of AarhusAarhusDenmark

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